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**truebluefan** · 03-28-2008, 01:18 PM

Circolo Golf Torino & Royal Park G&CC, Torino, Italy

**truebluefan** · 05-02-2008, 12:20 PM

The memory of his record-breaking previous visit to Morocco will serve as inspiration when France’s Adrien Mörk tees up at the Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic on the European Challenge Tour this week.

Mörk carded the first official score of 59 in the history of The European, Challenge and Seniors Tours on the second day of the 2006 Agadir Moroccan Classic at Golf du Soleil and the Frenchman won the tournament by a single stroke from Wales’ Mark Pilkington and France’s Julien van Hauwe.

Unquestionably, the abiding memory of the tournament was that record-breaking round, which was made all the more remarkable by the fact that it featured a double bogey on his 11th hole.

When added to his opening round of 63, Mörk's 59 gave him a 36 hole aggregate total of 20 under par 122, which saw him replace America’s Tiger Woods and Frankie Minoza of the Philippines as the holder of the lowest opening 36 hole score on any of the three Tours.

He said: “It still feels like a dream to have shot 59, because I had never been close to a 59 before. It was certainly the best I have ever played, and it was an honour to break so many records for European golf.”

The venue for this year’s Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic has switched to the El Jadida Sofitel Golf Resort, but Mörk will be hoping to replicate the form he showed two years ago.

Amongst those hoping to prevent Mörk from defending is crown – the event was not played in 2007 – are a number of winners on this season’s Challenge Tour.

These include Estanislao Goya of Argentina who, despite falling out of contention at last week’s AGF-Allianz Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne, is still leading the Challenge Tour Rankings and a potential star in the making.

The teenager’s victory at last month’s Abierto VISA del Centro presentado por Personal in his native Argentina saw him become a category one Member of the Challenge Tour, and guaranteed him entry to the remaining events on the Schedule – an invitation he is keen to take up.

Goya, who leads Finland’s Antti Ahokas – another player heading to Morocco – by €2,786 in the Rankings, said: “I’ve been striking the ball very well over the last three weeks, so I just want to keep my momentum going and take that into Morocco. I want to play as many Challenge Tour events as possible, because my goal is to earn my card for The European Tour. That would be a dream for me.

“I’ve played with Andres Romero and Angel Cabrera many times, and they are always giving me advice. They are an inspiration for me – I want to get to where they are.”

Another player chasing a European Tour card is Ireland’s Colm Moriarty, who has been unable to add to his solitary Challenge Tour victory, at the 2007 FIRSTPLUS Wales Challenge.

But the man from Athlone goes into the Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic in good form, having carded a back nine score of 30 on the third day of the AGF-Allianz Open Cotes d’Armor Bretagne.

Moriarty said: “I shot 29 once before so it’s not my lowest score for nine holes, but I’ll certainly take it. I’m not really sure where it came from, but I got into a nice rhythm and after a few putts dropped, suddenly I couldn’t miss. It came a bit too late for this tournament, but at least it bodes well for Morocco and the rest of the season.”

At the other end of the age spectrum England’s Roger Chapman, winner of the Brazil Rio de Janeiro 500 Years in 2000, will attempt to roll back the years at El Jadida Sofitel Golf Resort before he embarks on a new phase of his career, on the European Seniors Tour.

**truebluefan** · 05-02-2008, 12:20 PM

Scotland’s Greig Hutcheon showed no signs of the serious shoulder injury which has hampered his recent career when setting a new course record to take the lead on day one of the Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic on the European Challenge Tour.

The man from Aberdeen, who can no longer sleep on his right hand side after injuring his shoulder in a snowball fight in December 2004, leads a quintet of challengers by two shots after carding eight birdies and a solitary bogey en route to a seven under par 65 at El Jadida Sofitel Golf Resort in Morocco.

Hutcheon, the winner of last year’s Tartan Tour in Scotland, is seeking his second Challenge Tour victory on Moroccan soil after his win in the Banque Commercial du Maroc in 2003.

He said: “The course is in fantastic condition, and the sun shines here a bit more than it does in Aberdeen! I plodded my way round without playing brilliantly today, but I’m enjoying my golf a lot more now. The injury focused my mind and taught me not to take anything for granted, because I’m in a privileged position.

“A friend rugby tackled me from behind, and my shoulder bore the full brunt of the impact on the ground. I decided against surgery in the end and just went for phsyio, and it's got gradually better over the past couple of years. It'll never be back to working normally again, and I can't lie on my right hand side, because it's too painful. So it disrupts my sleep quite badly, but other than that, I've got used to it.”

In hot pursuit of Hutcheon on five under par are Holland’s Wil Besseling, winner of the II Club Colombia Masters last month; the English duo of Matthew Cort and Adam Gee; and Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey and Matthew Zions, who both eagled the 11th hole.

In benign morning conditions, Gee shot a 67 to banish the memory of his “nightmare” finish in France last weekend.

Last week, he had played himself into contention on the final day of the AGF-Allianz Open Côtes d’Armor Bretagne, only to wreck his chances of claiming his maiden Challenge Tour title with a triple bogey seven on the 72nd hole.

But the 27 year old, who finished runner up in the 2006 Amateur Championship, put that disappointment behind him by collecting eight birdies – five of them on the back nine.

Gee, who came fourth in the 2007 Russian Golf Championship on only his second start on The European Tour, said: “I obviously had a bit of a nightmare on the final hole last week – but overall I was pleased with how I played in the tournament, so I knew my game was in good shape coming to Morocco. I’ve made a good start, but last week taught me to take nothing for granted.”

**truebluefan** · 05-02-2008, 12:21 PM

Scotland’s Greig Hutcheon and Holland’s Wil Besseling took a share of the early clubhouse lead on seven under par on the second day of the Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic on the European Challenge Tour.

Aberdeen player Hutcheon, the overnight leader, was unable to make much progress on the greens at El Jadida Sofitel Golf Resort in Morocco, carding two birdies and two bogeys.

He was joined on seven under by Holland’s Wil Besseling who carded a two under par 70 in an eventful round that included an eagle on the tenth hole, as well as four birdies and four bogeys.

Hutcheon said: “I didn’t lose any shots but I didn’t putt anything today. I played reasonably well again but I was trying to force putts into the hole.

“I had some chances today but I was unable to take them, despite playing well. The wind is getting up though and the course is quite tricky today.”

Besseling, who is looking for his second Challenge Tour win of the season following his victory in the II Club Colombia Masters last month, said he was happy to be in challenging at the top of the leaderboard once again.

He said: “I was five under after 10 holes but unfortunately I made some bogeys and some mistakes. But I played well today and I’m happy for a tie of the lead.

“The win in Colombia has given me confidence and it is good to be in contention again.”

**truebluefan** · 05-04-2008, 04:53 PM

Denmark’s Mark Haastrup shot a flawless four under par 68 to move clear at the top of the leaderboard at the halfway mark of the Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic on the European Challenge Tour.

Haastrup carded four birdies in the first 11 holes to take the lead on eight under par, one stroke ahead of Holland’s Wil Besseling and overnight leader Greig Hutcheon of Scotland.

The 24 year old Dane, who finished joint runner up behind Besseling at the II Club Colombia Masters last month, said he hoped to go one better at El Jadida Sofitel Golf Resort in Morocco after matching his first round score of 68.

He said: “I went out hoping not to make any bogeys and I putted really well today and played really well. I had one bad shot but managed to get up and down without being punished.

“I am going to try my best over the next two days and see what happens. I only made one bogey on the last hole yesterday so I’m playing well. It’s been really steady so far and I’m hitting the ball in the right places so I’m looking forward to the next two days.”

Aberdeen player Hutcheon was unable to make much progress on the greens at El Jadida Sofitel Golf Resort in Morocco, carding two birdies and two bogeys for a level par round of 72.

He said: “I didn’t lose any shots but I didn’t putt anything today. I played reasonably well again but I was trying to force putts into the hole.
“I had some chances today but I was unable to take them, despite playing well. The wind is getting up though and the course is quite tricky today.”

Besseling shot a two under par 70 in an eventful round that included an eagle on the tenth hole, as well as four birdies and four bogeys.

After securing his first Challenge Tour win of the season with victory in the II Club Colombia Masters last month, Besseling said he was happy to be challenging at the top of the leaderboard once again.

He said: “I was five under after 10 holes but unfortunately I made some bogeys and some mistakes. But I played well today and I’m happy. The win in Colombia has given me confidence and it is good to be in contention again.”

Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey is a shot further back on six under par after carding two sixes in the last four holes for a round of 71 that also contained four birdies.

The biggest mover of the day was England’s Richard McEvoy, who played himself right back into contention with a course record equalling 65 to move to four under par. McEvoy, who is looking to return to The European Tour after losing his card last year, had been way down the leaderboard after carding an opening round 75 but came back in style to shoot an eagle and six birdies in a stunning round that contained just one bogey.

His seven under par 65 matched Hutcheon’s first round course record and means he is ideally placed to better his highest finish so far this season, tied ninth in the II Club Colombia Masters.

He said: “It went really well today after yesterday which was not very good at all. I felt completely different today. My swing was much better and I felt in control of the ball.

“Yesterday I got off to a poor start and had an up and down round. We got the best of the greens this morning and I’m right back in contention now. I’ve made all four cuts so far this season but I’ve not really been up there yet.”

**truebluefan** · 05-04-2008, 04:53 PM

Scotland’s Greig Hutcheon will take a one shot lead into the final round of the Banque Populaire Moroccan Classic on the European Challenge Tour as he attempts to win the event for the second time in five years.

The 35 year old captured the title in 2003 at Royal Golf Dar Es Salam and will attempt to use that experience to triumph for a second time at the El Jadida Sofitel Golf Resort.

Hutcheon put himself in pole position after a third round 70 for a nine under par total of 207 gave him a one shot lead over Northern Ireland’s Michael Hoey, who posted a 71, and John E Morgan of England who carded the day’s best round, a five under par 67, to join Hoey on eight under par 208.

“I have my name on the trophy once and it would be great to have it there again after tomorrow,” said Hutcheon. “I know how to win and nobody in the field is better placed than me to triumph so I will give it my best shot.”

The Scot’s lead could have been even bigger but for a double bogey six at the 12th where his ball plugged in the bunker and his escape shot flew over the green; and two three putts to finish at the 17th and 18th, the former costing him a bogey five, the latter being only good enough for a par five.

“I am a little disappointed with the way I finished because I have been putting well all week,” he said. “The greens here are great but because of the lengthy delay we had due to the weather problems of the morning, by the time you get to seven o’clock at night, the grain seems to affect the ball a lot more than early on.

“That was the problem for me on the final two holes but I suppose the good thing is that, despite all that, I am still leading and I am very much looking forward to tomorrow.

“I didn’t go to the Tour School last year because I got engaged and I had a lot of commitments round about that time to do with our house and stuff like that and because of that I don’t have a Challenge Tour category as such.

“But I know I am in at least five tournaments this year so I will see what I can do there. I finished fifth in Kenya earlier in the year which was good but I know if I am to progress through the Challenge Tour then I need a win – so we will see what I can do tomorrow.”

Morgan, who was tied for 15th at the start of the day, ignited his challenge with a birdie four at the 11th followed by an eagle two at the 321 yard 12th but failed to join Hutcheon at the top of the pile when he dropped a shot late on.

However the 30 year old from Bristol is still in good position to add to his only previous Challenge Tour title which came when he captured the Challenge Tour Championship crown in 2002.

Hoey had a quiet third day with only two birdies and two bogeys to show as departures from par in his first 17 holes. But the Northern Irishman ensured he would be in the mix for the final day with a birdie four at the final hole.

**truebluefan** · 05-04-2008, 04:55 PM

Michael Hoey’s one-shot victory at the Banque Populaire Morroccan Classic on the European Challenge Tour made it a double for Ireland after Peter Lawrie’s win at the Open de España earlier in the day.

Hoey held his nerve and survived a late charge from overnight leader Greig Hutcheon of Scotland to secure a third Challenge Tour title which saw him climb to sixth place in the Rankings.

The man from Belfast, who looked to be cruising to victory until he dropped shots on the 14th and 16th holes at El Jadida Sofitel Golf Resort, birdied the 17th for a round of 68 and a 12 under par aggregate score to finish one clear of Hutcheon and France’s Julien Quesne.

Hoey, a former British Amateur Champion and a member of the triumphant 2001 Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team, has now set his sights on a top five finish in the Rankings and a return to The European Tour.

The 29 year old said: “My short game was very good today, and it has been all week. Chipping and putting well normally wins you golf tournaments, and so it proved. I didn’t think I would win today because Greig’s been playing well and I started the round a few shots back, so it was a nice surprise.

“I came into the tournament in good form after a decent finish in France last week, so my confidence is slowly returning after I missed a few cuts out in South America. I won a Challenge Tour event at about the same stage last season, but then got too technical and made too many changes to my swing, which meant I lost my way a little. But I’ve gone back to basics, and I’m going to keep it simple from now on.”

Commenting on the current state of golf in Ireland following Lawrie’s play-off victory in Seville, Hoey said: “Irish golf is obviously in rude health at the moment. Padraig [Harrington] started the trend at The Open last year, and we’ve gone on from there.

“Seeing the likes of Damien McGrane and Darren Clarke win recently has made me even more determined to earn my place back on The European Tour. This is the first major step on that road.”

Hutcheon’s final hole birdie for a second consecutive round of 70 was not enough to secure his second title on Moroccan soil, but it was good enough to claim second place alongside Quesne, who carded six birdies and a solitary bogey en route to a round of 67.

Earlier in the day, England’s Adam Gee had shot a 64 to set a new course record. Gee, who finished the first day as joint leader but subsequently dropped out of contention after two indifferent rounds, carded eight birdies in a flawless round of golf to finish in a tie for 25th on three under par.